WHITE RIVER TOWNSHIP — A plan to expand the township's pristine Barrier Dunes Sanctuary was derailed recently when the two parties could not agree on a purchase price for an adjacent piece of property.

Township officials were hoping to use a state grant to purchase 2.2 acres along Lake Michigan from the Gezon family. A purchase agreement was not reached by the time the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant expired on Oct. 31.

The township still could pursue the property it has sought for years to add to the Barrier Dunes Sanctuary, but without the grant assistance a private donation likely would be needed to meet the asking price. The property was appraised at $650,000 in 2006. The township made an undisclosed offer for the property.

"We're pretty disappointed," said township Supervisor Mike Cockerill. "We felt it was a fair offer. It's just about money."

The expansion would have increased the size of the sanctuary to nearly 14 acres and more than 1,100 feet of Lake Michigan shoreline. The 2.2-acre parcel, located about a quarter-mile south of Old Channel Inn on Old Channel Trail, would have added even more to a sanctuary that township officials have referred to as a township treasure.

The sanctuary is popular with beach-goers, hikers, bird-watchers and others seeking natural settings.

White River Township was set to receive $483,700 from the state for the proposed purchase of privately owned property for the expansion. Local and matching funds were expected to cover the remainder of the purchase price, if one could have been agreed on.

The securing of one of the highly sought-after grants from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund in 2006 -- the fourth attempt by the township over the previous five years -- generated excitement among township officials and the community that a deal could happen. The trust fund consists of royalties paid by oil and gas development companies that buy and lease state-owned mineral rights.

According to township officials, the family previously had indicated a willingness to sell the land to the township after unsuccessful attempts to get Michigan Department of Environmental Quality permission to build an 1,100-foot driveway through the dunes. The driveway issue came to the forefront in 1993.

"Whether there will be any other further negotiations from here on out, I don't know," Cockerill said.